MusiLollapalooza: Who is the Chernobill Picanha, which performs this Saturday

For the band Chernobill Picanhathe spirit of music is in contact with people. No wonder the trio formed by Matheus do Canto (vocal and low), Chico Rigo (guitar and vocals) and Fernando Salsa (percussion) has more than a thousand performances in the streets of Brazil and the world in the curriculum.

The big stages are also part of the history of the group formed in 2008 in Porto Alegre. The band performed at Rock in Rio in 2017 and prepares for the next edition of Lollapaloozawhich happens this week, between March 28 and 30, in São Paulo.

In conversation with Rolling Stone Brazil, Chernobill Picanha He spoke about expectations for the show, reflected on the responsibility of Brazilian music and stressed the importance of streets.

Picanha on stage…

The band’s name is as curious as the different explanations that the members give to the baptism. In the version of Chico Rigo channel Fame and anonymitythe name was born from the nickname given to a friend “who had his back”. Matheus do Canto He said in a television program that it is because the group is vegetarian. Already the former drummer Leonardo Ratão said in an interview with the Municipal Secretariat of Culture of São Paulo That the name was born of an expression used in the south when something bad (Chernobill, a reference to the city in Ukraine famous for the nuclear accident in the 1980s) is resolved unexpectedly and good (picanha).

Wide back, vegetarianism or popular expression, the fact is that the Lollapalooza will Chernobill Picanha. The trio performs on Saturday, 29, the second day of the Festival at the Interlagos Race Track, at a show on the Samsung Galaxy stage from noon.

For a band that was in Rock in Rio in 2017, in Great Prize of São Paulo de Formula 1 In 2024 and prepares for the fourth tour of Europe, participating in another event of great magnitude is a new opportunity to reach even more people.

“When being in Lollaour work becomes increasingly relevant from the point of view of bringing authorial music to the streets and talking directly to people, reaching all these achievements with great support from our audience. And touch Lolla It’s f*da, we really jumped with joy, because it’s an opportunity that doesn’t happen every day, “he said Matheus.

Chico Rigo He also remembered the spirit of the festival, popularized for gathering the independent scene of rock n ‘roll. “We play a rock band. Rock has always been revolutionary, a style that broke barriers. And we play the streets is a micro-revolution that we make in cities, bringing free music to people. So, I think this meeting comes as something positive for us, but also for the Lollapalooza Brasilbecause it is a meeting of two revolutionary institutions, each in its own way. ”

The discography of Chernobill Picanha It starts in 2009 with a homonymous album. The second work, The old and the barcame out in 2011. In 2016, already established in São Paulo, they launched The tale, the jungle and the end. Then came Survive (2019), Water, fire, earth and air (2020) and the most recent work, Pindorama (2024). In all albums, Rock N ‘Roll and Blues set the tone, but the trio proposes a careful look at Brazilian influences with the intention of giving a more tropical face to their sound.

We always had a good obligation to put these elements of Brazilian music, not only in rhythms, but also in the lyrics. We talked a lot about Brazil. There is a lot of baião, references from Maracatu, anyway. These are things we try to put so as not to be very American rock. We always wanted to write in Portuguese and have these references to make the business more colorful, more solar ” – Matheus do Canto

… And on the streets

Playing on big festivals is a unique opportunity, but the real achievement is on the streets. “We feel very free. Sometimes it happens that the crowd dances with us, exchange idea between one song and another. We can breathe, can enjoy. Parsley By explaining why the group continues with these presentations.

On the street you are in direct contact with people in Brazil. We can play for all kinds of person. We are tired of seeing homeless people putting a penny on our hat. Or see homeless people singing our songs. The street does a good not only musical, but personal. We grow, evolve as a human being ” – Chico Rigo

The challenges are diverse and range from unexpected storms to disagreements with the authorities. In February, Chernobill Picanha was prevented from playing on Paulista Avenue. City agents claimed that only presentations without structures such as stages and acoustic instruments are allowed.

However, the municipal decree that regulates street art does not establish any prohibition on the use of amplifiers and speakers. “Everything in the law we have been in 11 years. It’s not something new to us. But for the first time in Paulista on Sundays, the band has been forbidden to play. Not only do we, but all who perform and live on it,” argued the guitarist.

Rigor He acknowledged that some artists go beyond the limits, but stressed that the band’s presentations are supported by the law. He was also in meetings with the City Hall to resolve the impasse.

Touching the streets is a realization for the trio, but also has an important role for the survival of Chernobill Picanha. The presentations in public spaces act as a showcase that yielded invitations such as the Rock in Rio and a participation in the movieI’m still herewinner of Oscar. In addition, the street ensures financial support with donations and especially the sale of products such as CDs, T -shirts, posters, buttons and stickers.

“People take a souvenir of the band and at the same time are contributing financially,” he said Chico. “The street is our biggest source of income within the band. So it is not only optional, it is essential for us to be able to live on our work as an artist, something we always dreamed of.”

Whether on the streets or in the big festivals, Chernobill Picanha It is, above all, to live from what you love. Node Lollapaloozaan event with big names in the international scene as Olivia Rodrigo, Shawn Mendes and Justin Timberlakethe trio reaffirms the importance of giving space to Brazilian artists. “Consume national art because Brazil is a very rich country in culture, one of the most amazing in the world in art. Sometimes we keep looking a lot out and forgets to see things from here, which are beautiful and play our hearts and our lives,” concluded the guitarist.

+++ Read more: the street artist who participated in I’m still here

+++ Read more: Shawn Mendes: What to expect from the singer show in Lollapalooza